Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has been turning heads with his performances for Lazio this season, and the Serbian midfielder has now been linked with big-money moves to Manchester United and PSG, among others.
So far, he’s been justifying the hype, leading Lazio’s charge to secure a Champions League spot and making them contenders for the Serie A title – they’re currently in fifth place, nine points behind leaders Napoli with a game in hand and five points behind rivals Roma.
But while he’s a known quantity, there’s still a lot to discover about the young Serbian.
Here are five things you may not have known about the player who could soon be Europe’s next biggest star.
SPORT WAS IN HIS BLOOD
Milinkovic-Savic’s parents were both professional sportspeople, and the 22-year-old cites their careers as the inspiration for his own.
His father, Nikola Milinkovic, played football across Europe, while his mother, Milana Savic, was one of the leading basketball stars in the former Yugoslavia.
Milinkovic-Savic appreciates his parents having followed their ambitions and then encouraging him to do the same – and that’s certainly paid off.
Nikola Milinkovic’s combativeness has been passed on to his son.
SPEAKING OF FAMILY…
Milinkovic-Savic’s younger brother, Vanja, is also a footballer, a goalkeeper currently on the books of Torino.
He had actually agreed to sign with Manchester United when he was at Vojvodina, the Serbian club where both brothers started their careers.
The transfer was officially completed in 2014, but United immediately loaned him back to Vojvodina.
A year later, when he was set to move to the Premier League, he didn’t get a UK work permit, forcing United to release him.
Vanja Milinkovic-Savic nearly joined Manchester United two years ago.
INSTANT IMPRESSION
When he was on the youth team at Vojvodina, Milinkovic-Savic was, unsurprisingly, an instant star.
He was so good that his agent, former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman, decided to sign the midfielder after watching him for just ten minutes.
It took ten minutes for Mateja Kezman to be impressed by Milinkovic-Savic.
UNITED CALLING? CHECK HIS FAVOURITES LIST
United have been heavily linked with a move for the midfielder – although which top European club hasn’t?
PSG are supposedly preparing a big-money bid, and Liverpool reportedly had a bid turned down last summer.
Milinkovic-Savic has reserved high praise for Jose Mourinho, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Nemanja Matic, calling Mourinho his favourite manager, Ibrahimovic his favourite player and compatriot Matic his role model.
Mourinho is Milinkovic-Savic’s favourite manager.
WORLD AND EUROPEAN CHAMPION ALREADY
Milinkovic-Savic is now a regular with Serbia’s senior team, but he also represented his country across various youth levels with distinction.
He was one of the stars of the U19 team’s triumph at the European Championships in 2013, before playing an influential role two years later as the U20 team won the World Cup in New Zealand.
Milinkovic-Savic was part of Serbia’s triumphant 2015 U20 World Cup side.
